WO2011070969A1

WO2011070969A1 - Air bag device for lateral collision, vehicle seat, gas rectifier for inflator, and method of mounting gas rectifier on inflator

Info

Publication number: WO2011070969A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/071593
Authority: WO
Inventors: 真一杉本; 大輔杉本
Original assignee: タカタ株式会社
Priority date: 2009-12-10
Filing date: 2010-12-02
Publication date: 2011-06-16
Also published as: JP5431137B2; JP2011121469A

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of improving, in a simple configuration, the ease of mounting a tubular member on a bolt-equipped inflator. The inflator (20) is a bolt-equipped inflator which integrally comprises fixing bolts (44) for fixing the inflator (20) to a casing (18). Furthermore, a sleeve (40) comprises a tongue section (40b) which extends along the longitudinal direction of the inflator (20). An insertion hole (48) is formed in this tongue section (40b), the aforementioned insertion hole (48) comprising a long elongated hole (48a) which is formed to be oblong along the longitudinal direction of the inflator (20), and a short elongated hole (48b) which is formed to be approximately perpendicular to this long elongated hole (48a).

Description

Side impact airbag device, vehicle seat, inflator gas rectifier, and method of assembling gas rectifier to inflator

The present invention relates to a side-impact airbag device for restraining an occupant during a side collision of a vehicle such as an automobile, a vehicle seat including the airbag device, a gas rectifier for an inflator, and a method for assembling the gas rectifier to an inflator About.

2. Description of the Related Art Side impact airbag devices are known in which a side impact airbag is inflated to the side of an occupant by an inflator and restrains the occupant's body at the time of a side collision of a vehicle such as an automobile or a vehicle body rollover. This side-impact airbag device is built in, for example, a seat back portion, and at the time of a side collision, the side-impact airbag is injected from the inflator by the gas injected from the inflator from the back portion to the side walls of the occupant and the vehicle body. It expands and develops between the parts.

In such a side-impact airbag, for example, an airbag that is partitioned into two chambers, an upper chamber for receiving the chest and a lower chamber for receiving the waist, of the upper body of the occupant, a plurality of chambers inside Some have In an air bag with such a configuration, the pressure ratio of each chamber during inflation and deployment is adjusted, for example, by lowering the pressure of the upper chamber that receives the chest that is vulnerable to external shocks, to be lower than the pressure of the lower chamber that receives the waist. In other cases, the deployment behavior of each chamber during expansion / deployment may be different, such as expanding the chamber on one side faster than the chamber on the other side. In such a case, it is necessary to adjust the flow rate of the gas supplied from the inflator to each chamber.

Conventionally, as a side airbag device having such a gas flow rate adjusting means, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. In this prior art, a cylindrical member is provided so as to cover the gas ejection side of the inflator. This cylindrical member restricts the flow path of the gas ejected from the inflator by the restricting portion. As a result, the flow rate of the gas supplied to a specific chamber is reduced, and the flow rate of the reduced amount is distributed to other chambers to adjust the flow rate of the gas to a plurality of chambers. It is possible to adjust the difference in the expansion behavior of each chamber during expansion and expansion.

The cylindrical member has an extension part (engagement part) for engaging with the inflator. On the other hand, the inflator is supported by a clip having a fixing bolt (bolt), and the inflator is fixed to the casing by fastening the fixing bolt to the casing. And the said extension part is provided with the insertion hole for allowing the fixing bolt of a clip to penetrate. By inserting the fixing bolt into the insertion hole, the cylindrical member is assembled to the inflator in a state of covering the ejection side of the inflator.

JP 2008-18925 A (FIG. 3)

In the above prior art, in a state where the fixing bolt is fixed at a predetermined position of the inflator, it is structurally extended even if the fixing bolt is inserted into the insertion hole of the extending portion with the tubular member covered on the ejection side of the inflator. The tubular member is not able to be inserted because it does not lift up, or the tubular member cannot be covered even if it is attempted to cover the tubular member on the ejection side of the inflator while the fixing bolt is inserted into the insertion hole of the extension part. There is a possibility that it cannot be assembled. Therefore, although not specifically described in Patent Document 1, it can be considered to assemble in the following procedure.

That is, the clip is first loosened so that the fixing bolt can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the inflator. Thereafter, the fixing bolt is inserted into the insertion hole of the extending portion of the cylindrical member in a state where the fixing bolt is brought close to the inflator ejection side. Then, the clip is moved together with the cylindrical member engaged with the fixing bolt in the direction opposite to the inflator ejection side, and the clip is tightened to fix the fixing bolt to the inflator at a predetermined position where the cylindrical member covers the ejection side of the inflator. Secure to. As described above, the cylindrical member can be appropriately assembled to the inflator by loosening the clip and allowing the fixing bolt to move in the longitudinal direction of the inflator.

Here, in recent years, from the viewpoint of reducing the number of parts and cost, an inflator with a bolt that integrally has the fixing bolt has been proposed. When the above-described conventional cylindrical member is applied to such an inflator, since the fixing bolt is fixed at a predetermined position, it may be difficult to assemble the cylindrical member to the inflator as described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a side-impact air bag device and a vehicle seat having the same, which can improve the assembling property of a tubular member to an inflator with a bolt with a simple configuration, a gas rectifier for an inflator, and an inflator for the gas rectifier. It is to provide an assembly method.

In order to achieve the above object, a side impact airbag apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a side impact airbag that inflates and deploys between a side wall portion of a vehicle body and an occupant seated on a seat, and the side impact airbag device. A substantially cylindrical inflator housed in an airbag and ejecting inflatable gas from one side in the longitudinal direction; and a cylindrical member assembled to the inflator so as to cover one side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator. A side-impact airbag device having an inflator integrally having a fixing bolt for fixing to a member to be attached, and the cylindrical member extending along a longitudinal direction of the inflator and fixing It has an extension part formed with an insertion hole through which a bolt is inserted, and the insertion hole has a long hole part formed in a long hole shape along the longitudinal direction of the inflator. To do.

In the event of an emergency such as a side collision of the vehicle, the inflator is activated, and the side airbag is inflated and deployed between the occupant and the side wall of the vehicle body by the gas ejected from the inflator. At this time, the cylindrical member assembled in a state of covering one side in the longitudinal direction, which is the gas ejection side of the inflator, receives the ejected gas and rectifies it.

At this time, in the first invention of the present application, the inflator is an inflator with a bolt integrally having a fixing bolt for fixing to a member to be attached. Further, the tubular member has an extending portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the inflator, and the extending portion has a long hole portion formed in a long hole shape along the longitudinal direction of the inflator. An insertion hole is formed.

With this configuration, when assembling the cylindrical member to the inflator, the operator can take the following procedure. That is, first, the fixing bolt is inserted into the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion. Thereby, if the length of the long hole portion is set to an appropriate value, the fixing bolt can be easily inserted into the insertion hole of the extension portion in a state where the cylindrical member does not cover the ejection side of the inflator. . Thereafter, the tubular member is moved to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator so that the fixing bolt moves to one end in the longitudinal direction opposite to the long hole portion. Thereby, a cylindrical member will be in the state which covers the ejection side of an inflator, and a cylindrical member can be suitably assembled | attached to an inflator.

As described above, according to the first invention of the present application, the cylindrical member can be appropriately assembled to the inflator with the bolt with a simple configuration in which the elongated hole-like insertion hole is formed in the extending portion of the cylindrical member. . Therefore, the assembling property of the cylindrical member to the inflator with a bolt can be improved with a simple configuration.

The airbag apparatus for side collision according to a second aspect of the present invention is the air bag apparatus for side collision according to the first aspect, wherein the insertion hole is connected to one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion and is substantially perpendicular to the long hole portion. It has the short hole part made.

In the second invention of the present application, the insertion hole has a short hole portion that is connected to one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion and is formed to be substantially perpendicular to the long hole portion. Thus, when the cylindrical member is assembled to the inflator, the fixing bolt is inserted into the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion, and the fixing bolt moves to the one end portion in the longitudinal direction which is the opposite side of the long hole portion. It is possible to take the procedure of rotating the cylindrical member in the circumferential direction of the inflator so that the fixing bolt moves to the short hole part after moving the cylindrical member to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator Become. As a result, since the fixing bolt is inserted into the short hole portion substantially perpendicular to the long hole portion, the movement of the cylindrical member in the longitudinal direction of the inflator is restricted, and the inflator is prevented from coming off from the cylindrical member. it can. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a state in which the cylindrical member is appropriately assembled to the inflator with the bolt.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second invention, the short hole portion has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the inside of the opening in the vicinity of the connecting portion with the long hole portion. To do.

In the third invention of the present application, the short hole portion has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the inside of the opening in the vicinity of the connection portion with the long hole portion. As a result, when the tubular member is assembled to the inflator, when the tubular member is rotated in the circumferential direction of the inflator and the fixing bolt is moved from the long hole portion to the short hole portion, the protruding portion contacts the fixing bolt. Thus, the return of the fixing bolt to the long hole portion can be suppressed. As a result, since the rotation of the cylindrical member in the circumferential direction of the inflator after assembly is suppressed, the state where the cylindrical member is appropriately assembled to the inflator with the bolt can be stably held.

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle seat according to a fourth aspect of the invention includes the side airbag device according to any one of the first to third aspects of the invention.
According to the fourth invention of the present application, it is possible to provide a vehicle seat including a side-impact airbag device that improves the assembling property of the tubular member to the inflator with a bolt.

In order to achieve the above object, a gas rectifier for an inflator according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a gas rectifier for inflating and deploying a side-impact airbag that inflates and deploys between a side wall of a vehicle body and an occupant seated on a seat. A gas rectifier for an inflator that rectifies a gas of a substantially cylindrical inflator ejected from one side in a direction, the extension part extending along a longitudinal direction of the inflator, and the extension part formed on the extension part A fixing bolt provided integrally with the inflator to be fixed to the attached member, and the insertion hole is provided in the insertion hole, and is formed in a long hole shape along the longitudinal direction of the inflator A cylindrical member that is assembled to the inflator so as to cover one side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator.

In an emergency such as a side collision of the vehicle, the inflator is activated, and the gas ejected from the inflator is rectified by the gas rectifier and supplied to the chamber, so that the side impact airbag is formed between the occupant and the vehicle body side wall. It expands and expands between.

At this time, in the fifth invention of the present application, the inflator is an inflator with a bolt integrally having a fixing bolt for fixing to an attached member. In addition, the gas rectifier has an extension part extending along the longitudinal direction of the inflator, and the extension part is provided with a long hole part formed in a long hole shape along the longitudinal direction of the inflator. It forms as a cylindrical member in which the insertion hole to be formed was formed.

With this configuration, the following procedure can be taken when assembling the tubular member to the inflator. That is, first, the fixing bolt is inserted into the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion. Thereby, if the length of the long hole portion is set to an appropriate value, the fixing bolt can be easily inserted into the insertion hole of the extension portion in a state where the cylindrical member does not cover the ejection side of the inflator. . Thereafter, the tubular member is moved to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator so that the fixing bolt moves to one end in the longitudinal direction opposite to the long hole portion. Thereby, a cylindrical member will be in the state which covers the ejection side of an inflator, and a cylindrical member can be suitably assembled | attached to an inflator.

Thus, according to the fifth invention of the present application, the cylindrical member as a gas rectifier is appropriately applied to an inflator with a bolt with a simple configuration in which a long hole-like insertion hole is formed in the extending portion of the cylindrical member. Can be assembled. Therefore, the assembling property of the cylindrical member to the inflator with a bolt can be improved with a simple configuration.

In order to achieve the above object, a method for assembling a gas rectifier to an inflator according to a sixth aspect of the invention is for inflating and deploying a side impact airbag that inflates and deploys between a side wall portion of a vehicle body and an occupant seated on a seat. A gas rectifier that rectifies the gas of a substantially cylindrical inflator that ejects the gas from one side in the longitudinal direction, and is formed in the extending portion that extends along the longitudinal direction of the inflator, In order to fix the inflator to a member to be attached, an insertion hole through which a fixing bolt provided integrally with the inflator is inserted, and provided in the insertion hole, are formed in a long hole shape along the longitudinal direction of the inflator And a short hole portion formed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the long hole portion at one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion, and one side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator cover A gas rectifier assembling method for a gas rectifier, which is a cylindrical member to be assembled to the inflator, in the first step of inserting the fixing bolt into the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion, and the fixing bolt The second step of moving the tubular member to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator and the fixing bolt to move to the short hole so that the cylindrical member moves to the one side end in the longitudinal direction of the long hole. And a third procedure for rotating the cylindrical member in the circumferential direction of the inflator.

At this time, in the sixth invention of the present application, the inflator is an inflator with a bolt integrally having a fixing bolt for fixing to the attached member. In addition, the gas rectifier has an extension part extending along the longitudinal direction of the inflator, and the extension part is provided with a long hole part formed in a long hole shape along the longitudinal direction of the inflator. It forms as a cylindrical member in which the insertion hole to be formed was formed.

With this configuration, the following procedure can be taken when assembling the tubular member to the inflator. That is, first, in the first procedure, the fixing bolt is inserted into the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion. Thereby, if the length of the long hole portion is set to an appropriate value, the fixing bolt can be easily inserted into the insertion hole of the extension portion in a state where the cylindrical member does not cover the ejection side of the inflator. . Next, in the second procedure, the tubular member is moved to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator so that the fixing bolt moves to one end in the longitudinal direction opposite to the long hole portion. Thereby, a cylindrical member will be in the state which covers the ejection side of an inflator. In the third procedure, the cylindrical member is rotated in the circumferential direction of the inflator so that the fixing bolt moves to the short hole portion. Accordingly, the fixing bolt is inserted into the short hole portion, and the movement of the tubular member in the longitudinal direction of the inflator is restricted, so that the inflator can be prevented from coming off from the tubular member.

Thus, according to the sixth invention of the present application, the cylindrical member as the gas rectifier is inflated with a bolt by using a simple configuration in which a long hole-like insertion hole is formed in the extending portion of the cylindrical member. Can be easily assembled by the procedure described above. Therefore, the assembling property of the cylindrical member to the inflator with a bolt can be improved with a simple configuration.

According to the present invention, the assembling property of the cylindrical member to the inflator with a bolt can be improved with a simple configuration.

1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle seat provided with a side-impact airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the side view showing the whole structure of the side impact airbag in the state expand | deployed planarly, and the elements on larger scale near the chamber connection part. It is a perspective view showing the whole structure of the sleeve provided in an inflator. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the assembly | attachment procedure to the inflator of a sleeve. It is sectional drawing of the casing showing the state by which the folded airbag for side collision was accommodated in the casing. It is a side view showing the whole structure of the airbag at the time of applying to the side impact airbag which consists of a single chamber. It is a perspective view showing the whole structure of the sleeve at the time of applying to the side impact airbag which consists of a single chamber. It is a top view which represents notionally the shape of the modification of an insertion hole.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an automobile seat equipped with an embodiment of a side-impact airbag device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a normal state and FIG. 1 (b) is an inflation of the airbag. Shows the time.

In FIG. 1, the occupant 12 is seated on the seat 10. The seat 10 (vehicle seat) has a seat portion 10A, and a backrest portion 10B protrudes upward from the seat portion 10A. A headrest 10C is attached to the top of the backrest 10B.

The seat 10 is equipped with a side impact airbag device 14 in the backrest portion 10B for regulating the movement of the upper body of the occupant 12 in the event of a side collision or rollover due to an accident. The side impact airbag device 14 is inflated and deployed between a side wall portion (not shown in FIG. 1, located on the front side of the paper surface in FIG. 1) and an occupant 12 seated on the seat 10. The bag 16, for example, a resin casing 18 (attached member) that is stored in a folded state, and the side-impact airbag 16 are accommodated in the side-impact airbag 16, and the gas for inflation and deployment is stored in the airbag 16. A substantially cylindrical inflator 20 (see FIG. 3 and the like described later) is provided. The inflator 20 is ignited by an inflator control circuit (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1A, in a normal state, the side airbag 16 is housed in the backrest portion 10B of the seat 10 while being folded in the casing 18. On the other hand, for example, when the automobile has a side collision, the inflator control circuit activates the initiator of the inflator 20. As a result, the inflator 20 is ignited, and as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the side airbag 16 is inflated from the seat 10 (in this embodiment, the fabric on the front surface of the backrest 10B and the side wall on the side of the body side wall). The cloth on the surface is broken out (not shown in the figure) and deployed between the side wall of the automobile body and the occupant 12. At this time, the side airbag 16 is composed of a first bag portion 16A located on the upper side and a second bag portion 16B located on the lower side, and the chest portion of the occupant 12 is received by the first bag portion 16A. The second bag portion 16B regulates the movement of the waist of the occupant 12 toward the vehicle side.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the entire structure of the side-impact airbag 16 in a state of being flatly developed, and also shows a partially enlarged view near the chamber connection portion.

In FIG. 2, the side airbag 16 has a first panel 22A and a second panel (not shown in FIG. 2) formed in substantially the same shape and joined together along the outer edge thereof. By doing so, it is configured as a bag. In the figure, reference numeral 24 denotes the sewing joint portion, and all the portions along the outer edge portion of the bag body are sewn double (not necessarily double, but may be single). The first panel 22A is disposed on one side in the vehicle width direction (for example, the occupant 12 side), and the second panel is disposed on the other side in the vehicle width direction (for example, on the side wall side of the body of the automobile). FIG. 2 is a side view seen from one side in the vehicle width direction, and shows only the first panel 22A.

The inside of the side airbag 16 is formed from the upper side to the distal end side in the inflating direction (right side in FIG. 2) and from the base end side in the inflating direction (left side in FIG. 2) to the lower side. It is divided into two rooms with the second chamber 28B. The first chamber 28A and the second chamber 28B are partitioned by a sewing coupling portion 24a provided toward the inner peripheral side, but the chamber connection provided on the proximal end side in the expansion direction (left side in FIG. 2). It is connected at the part 28C. The first and

second chambers

28A and 28B having such a configuration are provided in the first and

second bag portions

16A and 16B, respectively.

The chamber connecting portion 28C is substantially provided on the base end side (left side in FIG. 2) of the substantially annular annular sewing portion 24b provided on the distal end portion of the sewing coupling portion 24a and the side impact airbag 16. The sleeve 40 is fitted to a fitting portion 70 that is formed between the annular sewing portion 24c and the

annular sewing portions

24b and 24c. (See partial enlarged view). At this time, the apex of the ring sewing portion 24c on the side of the fitting portion 70 is provided so as to be located on the inner side of the sealing material portion 30 described later (right side in FIG. 2, the fitting portion 70 side). Thus, the inner diameter L1 of the fitting portion 70 is set to be substantially equal to the outer diameter L2 of the sleeve 40 (see a partially enlarged view in FIG. 2). As a result, the sleeve 40 can be firmly attached to the fitting portion 70 by an interference fit, and the airtightness of the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 40 and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 70 can be well maintained. Further, by providing a ring sewing portion on both sides (or one side) of the fitting portion 70 as in this embodiment, the inner diameter at the apex portion of the ring sewing portion is equal to the outer diameter of the sleeve 40. It can be set as the structure which is substantially equivalent. As a result, both sides are sewn linearly to form a fitting portion whose inner diameter is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the sleeve 40, and compared with the case where the sleeve 40 is inserted into the fitting portion, the friction during insertion And the attachment property of the sleeve 40 to the fitting portion can be improved.

The sleeve 40 inserted into the fitting portion 70 is provided on the convex portion 20a side for discharging the gas of the inflator 20, and the gas ejected from the convex portion 20a is given to the first and

second chambers

28A and 28B in a predetermined manner. It has a flow rate distribution function for distributing at a flow rate ratio (details will be described later).

Of the sewn joint portion 24, a portion constituting the outer edge of the second chamber 28B (that is, from the base end side in the inflation direction of the chamber connecting portion 28C to the lower side of the side airbag 16 toward the inner peripheral side. In order to seal the sewing coupling portion 24, a sealing material portion 30 made of an appropriate sealing material such as silicon rubber is provided along the sewing coupling portion 24 in order to seal the sewing coupling portion 24). Is provided. The sealing material portion 30 is provided wider than the double sewing joint portion 24 so as to seal both of the double sewing joint portions 24 (see a partially enlarged view in FIG. 2). Thereby, the airtightness of the 2nd bag part 16B which has the 2nd chamber 28B can be improved, and it is possible to hold | maintain the pressure in the 2nd bag part 16B which controls the movement of the waist | hip | lumbar part of the passenger | crew 12 for a long time. .

The side impact airbag 16 (specifically, the first bag portion 16A) corresponds to the elbow portion 12a (see FIG. 1) of the occupant 12 at the bag outer edge portion 32 on the front end side in the inflating direction (right side in FIG. 2). In addition, a recess 34 having a substantially arc shape is provided. The recess 34 is formed by sewing and joining the first panel 22A and the second panel, which have been cut in advance so as to form a recess at a corresponding position of the outer edge, to form a bag. Note that the recess 34 may be omitted.

The first panel 22A is provided with a slit (not shown) for inserting the inflator 20 and the sleeve 40 into the side airbag 16 and further covers this slit from one side (the lower side in FIG. 2). A cover portion 38 that covers the cover portion 36 and the slit from the other side (upper side in FIG. 2) is provided. These cover

parts

36 and 38 are comprised by a part of appropriate application | coating cloth integrally provided by sewing on the surface of the 1st panel 22A. After the inflator 20 and the sleeve 40 are inserted through the slit, the airtightness of the side impact airbag 16 can be improved by folding the

cover portions

36 and 38 to cover the slit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the sleeve 40 provided in the inflator 20.

In FIG. 3, the sleeve 40 has a throttle portion 40a at the end on one side in the cylinder axis direction (left side in FIG. 3, on the second chamber 28B side) and the other side in the cylinder axis direction (right side in FIG. 3, first chamber). 28A) is a cylindrical member (cylindrical member) having a tongue piece portion 40b (extending portion) for locking the sleeve 40 to the inflator 20. On the other hand, the inflator 20 has the above-described convex portion 20a on one side in the longitudinal direction (left side in FIG. 3; hereinafter referred to as “ejection side”), and the convex portion 20a has a plurality of gas jets for ejecting gas. An ejection hole 42 is provided. The inflator 20 is a bolted inflator integrally having a fixing bolt 44, and the inflator 20 is fixed to the casing 18 by fastening the fixing bolt 44 to the casing 18. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the inflator 20 has two fixing bolts 44, but it may have one or three or more.

The tongue piece 40b of the sleeve 40 extends along the longitudinal direction of the inflator 20 to the other side in the longitudinal direction (the right side in FIG. 3; hereinafter referred to as “the ejection opposite side”). The tongue piece 40b is provided with an insertion hole 48 through which the fixing bolt 44 is inserted. The insertion hole 48 is formed in a substantially L-shape, a long hole portion 48a formed in a long hole shape along the longitudinal direction of the inflator 20, and one longitudinal direction side of the long hole portion 48a (in FIG. 3) Left side (hereinafter referred to as “throttle portion side”) is connected to an end portion and has a short hole portion 48b formed to be substantially perpendicular to the long hole portion 48a. Both the long hole portion 48a and the short hole portion 48b have a hole width slightly larger than the outer diameter of the fixing bolt 44, and the inserted fixing bolt 44 slides in the long hole portion 48a and the short hole portion 48b. However, it is possible to move. In the insertion hole 48 having such a configuration, the fixing bolt 44 is first inserted into the long hole part 48a and then moved into the short hole part 48b, so that the sleeve 40 covers the ejection side of the inflator 20. It is assembled to the inflator 20. Although details of this assembling procedure will be described later, FIG. 3 shows a state where the assembling is completed.

The inner diameter of the sleeve 40 is formed so as to be larger than the outer diameter of the inflator 20 by a predetermined amount, and the gas injected between the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 40 and the outer peripheral surface of the inflator 20 is on the first chamber 28A side. A gap in the flow path (indicated by the arrow 50 in the figure) that flows through is secured. Thereby, the sleeve 40 functions as a gas rectifier that receives the gas ejected in the peripheral direction from the convex portion 20a of the inflator 20 and rectifies the gas flow direction to the ejection side and the ejection opposite side of the inflator 20. In addition, the jetted high temperature gas is prevented from directly colliding with the first panel 22A and the second panel, and there is an effect that deterioration of the base fabric and sewing due to the high temperature gas can be reduced.

Furthermore, the sleeve 40 also has a gas distribution function. That is, the throttle portion 40a of the sleeve 40 is an annular member having an opening 52 (an annular member in this embodiment). The diameter of the opening 52 is set so that the first bag portion 16A and the second bag portion 16B constituting the side collision airbag 16 perform a desired deployment behavior, or in the first bag portion 16A and the second bag portion 16B. In order that the pressures of the first bag portion 16A and the second chamber portion 28B of the first bag portion 16A and the second bag portion 16B of the first bag portion 16A are respectively desired values, It is set to an appropriate value calculated in advance so as to be distributed. For example, in the present embodiment, the diameter of the opening 52 is set so that the pressure in the second bag portion 16B that regulates the waist of the occupant 12 is higher than the pressure in the first bag portion 16A that regulates the chest side. The Thereby, the gas ejected from the inflator 20 is adjusted to a predetermined flow rate set in advance and supplied to the second chamber 28B side (the flow path is indicated by an arrow 54 in the figure).

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a procedure for assembling the sleeve 40 to the inflator 20.

As shown in FIG. 4A, first, the fixing bolt 44 on the ejection side (left side in FIG. 4) of the inflator 20 is placed on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion 48a in the insertion hole 48 of the sleeve 40 (right side in FIG. 4). Inserted into the end portion (hereinafter referred to as “inflator side”) (corresponding to the first procedure). In this embodiment, the length of the long hole portion 48a is set so that the sleeve 40 does not cover the ejection side of the inflator 20 in this state (in other words, covers only the convex portion 20a). Thus, for example, when the insertion hole 48 is a simple circular hole, the tongue piece 40b may be inserted even if the fixing bolt 44 is inserted into the insertion hole 48 when the sleeve 40 covers the ejection side of the inflator 20 due to the structure. However, when the insertion hole 48 has the elongated hole portion 48a, such a situation can be prevented, and the fixing bolt 44 can be easily inserted into the elongated hole portion 48a. .

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the sleeve 40 is moved to the side opposite to the ejection of the inflator 20 so that the fixing bolt 44 moves to the end of the elongated hole portion 48a on the throttle portion side (in the second procedure). Equivalent). As a result, the sleeve 40 is in a state of covering the ejection side of the inflator 20. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4C, the sleeve 40 is rotated in the circumferential direction of the inflator 20 so that the fixing bolt 44 moves from the long hole portion 48a to the short hole portion 48b (corresponding to the third procedure). Thereby, the fixing bolt 44 is inserted into the short hole portion 48b, and the movement of the sleeve 40 in the longitudinal direction of the inflator is restricted. As a result, the inflator 20 can be prevented from coming off the sleeve 40, and the sleeve 40 can be maintained in a state where it is properly assembled to the inflator 20. The state shown in FIG. 4C is a state where the assembly of the sleeve 40 to the inflator 20 is completed, and is equivalent to the state shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the casing 18 showing a state in which the folded side airbag 16 is housed in the casing 18. In addition, illustration of the sleeve 40 is abbreviate | omitted in this FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the inflator 20 is fixed to the casing 18 by fastening the fixing bolt 44 described above to the casing 18. Further, the end portion of the side collision airbag 16 on the proximal side in the inflation direction (upper side in FIG. 5) is fixed by being sandwiched between the inflator 20 and the casing 18. For example, the side airbag 16 is folded at the base end side in the inflating direction by a bellows fold (portion 64 in the figure), and the front end side in the inflating direction (the bottom side in FIG. 5) is folded by the roll fold (see FIG. 5). The portion indicated by the middle 66) is housed in the casing 18 with the end on the distal side in the expansion direction folded inward (the portion indicated by 68 in the figure).

When a vehicle having the side airbag device 14 configured as described above is mounted, when the vehicle collides (including a side collision or the like) or rolls over, the occurrence (or prediction of occurrence) of the vehicle occurs. Various sensors for detecting the above are provided. In an emergency such as a side collision, these sensors detect this, and the inflator control circuit activates the initiator of the inflator 20 based on the detection signals from these sensors. As a result, the inflator 20 is actuated, the airbag inflation gas is ejected, and the side airbag 16 is inflated and deployed between the side wall of the automobile body and the occupant 12.

According to the side collision airbag device 14 of the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in this embodiment, the inflator 20 is a bolted inflator integrally having a fixing bolt 44 for fixing to the casing 18, and the sleeve 40 has a tongue extending along the longitudinal direction of the inflator 20. An insertion hole 48 having a long hole portion 48 a formed in a long hole shape along the longitudinal direction of the inflator 20 is formed in the tongue piece portion 40 b. With such a configuration, when the sleeve 40 is assembled to the inflator 20, the operator can take the following procedure. That is, first, the fixing bolt 44 is inserted through the end of the long hole portion 48a on the inflator side. Thus, if the length of the long hole portion 48a is set to an appropriate value, the fixing bolt 44 can be easily inserted into the long hole portion 48a in a state where the sleeve 40 does not cover the ejection side of the inflator 20. . Thereafter, the sleeve 40 is moved to the side opposite to the ejection of the inflator 20 so that the fixing bolt 44 moves to the end of the elongated hole portion 48a on the throttle portion side. Thereby, the sleeve 40 is in a state of covering the ejection side of the inflator 20, and the sleeve 40 can be appropriately assembled to the inflator 20.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the sleeve 40 can be appropriately assembled to the inflator 20 with a simple configuration in which the insertion hole 48 having the elongated hole portion 48a is formed in the sleeve 40. Therefore, the assembling property of the sleeve 40 to the inflator 20 with a bolt can be improved with a simple configuration.

In the present embodiment, in particular, the insertion hole 48 includes a short hole portion 48b that is connected to the narrow portion side end portion of the long hole portion 48a and is formed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the long hole portion 48a. To do. As a result, when the sleeve 40 is assembled to the inflator 20, the fixing bolt 44 is inserted into the inflator side end of the long hole portion 48a, and the fixing bolt 44 moves to the throttle side end portion opposite to the long hole portion 48a. The sleeve 40 is moved to the side opposite to the ejection of the inflator 20 so that the sleeve 40 is rotated in the circumferential direction of the inflator 20 so that the fixing bolt 44 is further moved to the short hole portion 48b. it can. As a result, the fixing bolt 44 is inserted into the short hole portion 48b substantially perpendicular to the long hole portion 48a, so that the movement of the sleeve 40 in the longitudinal direction of the inflator is restricted, and the inflator 20 comes out of the sleeve 40. Can be prevented. Therefore, the state where the sleeve 40 is appropriately assembled to the inflator 20 with the bolt can be maintained. As a result, the sleeve 40 can exhibit the gas distribution function accurately and stably.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical idea thereof. Hereinafter, such modifications will be described.

(1) In the case of a side-impact airbag comprising a single chamber In the above-described embodiment, a side-impact airbag having a plurality of chambers has been described as an example. However, a side-impact airbag comprising a single chamber may be used. . FIG. 6 is a side view showing the overall structure of the side-impact airbag 76 of the present modified example in a state of being deployed in a planar shape, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the sleeve 78 of the modified example. 6 and FIG. 7, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 and FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the side impact airbag 76 of the present modification has a first panel 80 </ b> A and a second panel (not shown in FIG. 6) formed in substantially the same shape along the outer edge portion. A bag body is formed by sewing and joining over the entire circumference. In the figure, reference numeral 82 denotes the sewing connecting portion, which is double-sewn along the outer edge of the bag. The inside of the side collision airbag 76 is configured by a single chamber 84. The configuration of the side collision airbag 76 other than the above is the same as that of the side collision airbag 16 described above.

As shown in FIG. 7, the sleeve 78 of this modification has a tongue piece 78 b (extending portion) that extends to the opposite side of ejection along the longitudinal direction of the inflator 20. The tongue piece 78b is provided with an insertion hole 48 similar to that of the above-described embodiment. On the other hand, the sleeve 78 does not have a throttle portion at one end (left side in FIG. 7) in the cylinder axis direction. Thereby, as described above, the sleeve 78 changes the flow direction of the gas ejected in the peripheral direction from the convex portion 20a of the inflator 20 to the ejection side (arrow 54 side in the figure) and the ejection opposite side (arrow 50 side in the figure). Although it functions as a gas rectifier that rectifies, it does not have a throttling portion, and therefore does not have a distribution function that adjusts the flow rate of gas and distributes it to an appropriate ratio unlike the above-described embodiment. The configuration of the sleeve 78 other than the above is the same as that of the sleeve 40 described above. The procedure for assembling the sleeve 78 to the inflator 20 is the same as that shown in FIG.

Also in this modification, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment.

(2) When Protruding Part is Provided in Short Hole Portion 48b Although not provided above, a protruding part for suppressing the return of fixing bolt 44 may be provided in short hole part 48b. FIG. 8 is a plan view conceptually showing the shape of the insertion hole of this modification. In addition, in FIG. 8, each position at the time of the assembly | attachment of the fixed bolt 44 penetrated is shown with the dashed-dotted line.

FIG. 8A shows the shape of the insertion hole 48 of the above-described embodiment for comparison. As shown in FIG. 8A, in the insertion hole 48, the long hole portion 48a and the short hole portion 48b are formed to have a constant hole width. On the other hand, in the insertion hole 48A of the modified example shown in FIG. 8B, the short hole portion 48b is a protrusion protruding in a mountain shape toward the inner side of the opening on the inner side in the vicinity of the connection portion with the long hole portion 48a. A portion 72 is provided. Further, in the insertion hole 48B of the modified example shown in FIG. 8C, the short hole portion 48b is a protruding portion that protrudes in an arc shape toward the inner side of the opening on the outer side in the vicinity of the connection portion with the long hole portion 48a. 74.

As a result, when the sleeve 40 is assembled to the inflator 20, when the sleeve 40 is rotated in the circumferential direction of the inflator 20 and the fixing bolt 44 is moved from the long hole portion 48a to the short hole portion 48b, the

protrusions

72, 74 can contact the fixing bolt 44 and suppress the return of the fixing bolt 44 to the long hole portion 48a. As a result, since the rotation of the sleeve 40 in the circumferential direction of the inflator after assembly is suppressed, the state where the sleeve 40 is properly assembled to the inflator 20 with the bolt can be stably held.

(3) Others Although the sleeve 40 has a cylindrical shape as described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be a polygonal shape such as a quadrilateral as long as it is a cylindrical member that can cover the ejection side of the inflator 20. . Similarly, the throttle portion 40a is formed in an annular shape, but is not limited thereto, and may be an annular member whose opening shape is a polygonal shape such as a quadrangle.

In the above description, the airbag has been described as an example of a side-impact airbag configured by two bags by dividing the interior of the airbag into two chambers. However, the present invention may be applied to a side-impact airbag that is partitioned into three or more chambers and is configured of three or more bag portions.

In the above, as described above, the side panel airbag 16 is configured by sewing and joining the first panel 22A and the second panel. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first panel 22A and the second panel The side impact airbag 16 may be configured by being joined by other joining means such as bag weaving the two panels. Further, for example, a single panel may be folded in half, and the periphery other than the folded portion may be sewn and joined to form a bag.

Further, in the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to a so-called seat mount type side airbag device mounted in the backrest portion 10B of the seat 10 has been described as an example. The present invention may be applied to a so-called door mount type side airbag device equipped in the above-mentioned.

In the above description, the example in which the present invention is applied to the side airbag that is inflated and deployed from the seat 10 between the body side wall portion and the occupant 12 (that is, on the collision side with respect to the occupant 12) has been described. The side airbag (so-called far side airbag) that inflates and deploys to restrain the occupant 12 by being inflated and deployed on the side opposite to the body side wall portion with respect to the occupant 12 (that is, on the side opposite to the collision side with respect to the occupant 12). The invention may be applied.

Further, in the above, the gas rectifier having the throttle portion in the airbag having the plurality of chambers is used, and the gas rectifier having no throttle portion in the airbag having the single chamber is used. Accordingly, on the contrary, an air bag having a plurality of chambers may use a gas rectifier that does not have a throttle portion, and a gas rectifier that has a throttle portion in a single chamber airbag.

In addition to those already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination. In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

10 Seat (vehicle seat)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Crew 14 Side impact airbag apparatus 16 Side impact airbag 18 Casing (attached member)
20 Inflator 40 Sleeve (tubular member, gas rectifier)
40b Tongue piece (extending part)
44 Fixing Bolt 48 Insertion Hole

48a Long Hole

48b Short Hole

48A Insertion Hole

48B Insertion Hole 72 Protrusion 74 Projection 76 Side Impact Airbag 78 Sleeve (Tubular Member, Gas Rectifier)
78b Tongue piece (extending part)

Claims

A side-impact airbag that inflates and deploys between a side wall of the vehicle body and an occupant seated on the seat;
A substantially cylindrical inflator that is accommodated in the side-impact airbag, and inflates and deploys gas from one side in the longitudinal direction;
A cylindrical member assembled to the inflator so as to cover one side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator, and a side-impact airbag device,
The inflator integrally has a fixing bolt for fixing to a member to be attached,
The cylindrical member has an extension part formed along the longitudinal direction of the inflator and formed with an insertion hole through which the fixing bolt is inserted.
The side-impact airbag device, wherein the insertion hole has a long hole portion formed in a long hole shape along a longitudinal direction of the inflator.
In the side airbag apparatus according to claim 1,
The insertion hole is
A side-impact airbag device characterized by having a short hole portion connected to one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion and formed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the long hole portion.
In the side airbag apparatus according to claim 2,
The short hole portion is
A side-impact airbag device characterized by having a protrusion that protrudes toward the inside of the opening in the vicinity of the connection with the elongated hole.
A vehicle seat comprising the side collision airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
An inflator that rectifies the gas of a substantially cylindrical inflator that blows inflating and deploying gas from one side in the longitudinal direction of a side-impact airbag that inflates and deploys between a side wall of a vehicle body and an occupant seated on a seat A gas rectifier,
An extension extending along the longitudinal direction of the inflator;
An insertion hole that is formed in the extending portion and through which a fixing bolt that is integrally provided in the inflator is inserted in order to fix the inflator to the attached member;
A long hole portion provided in the insertion hole and formed in a long hole shape along the longitudinal direction of the inflator;
A gas rectifier for an inflator, which is a cylindrical member that is assembled to the inflator so as to cover one side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator.
A gas rectifier that rectifies the gas of a substantially cylindrical inflator that blows inflating and deploying gas from one side in the longitudinal direction of a side impact airbag that inflates and deploys between a side wall portion of a vehicle body and an occupant seated on a seat An extension portion extending along a longitudinal direction of the inflator and a fixing bolt formed on the extension portion and provided integrally with the inflator for fixing the inflator to a member to be attached Is inserted in the insertion hole, and is provided in the insertion hole, and is formed in a long hole shape along the longitudinal direction of the inflator, and the long hole at one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the long hole portion. A gas rectifier that is a cylindrical member that is assembled to the inflator so as to cover one side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator. A put method,
A first procedure for inserting the fixing bolt into the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole portion;
A second step of moving the tubular member to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator so that the fixing bolt moves to one end in the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole;
A third step of rotating the cylindrical member in the circumferential direction of the inflator so that the fixing bolt moves to the short hole portion;
A method of assembling a gas rectifier to an inflator, comprising: